Trump Revives Anti-China Quad Alliance, calls in India, Australia and Japan in ASEAN Nov Meet in Manila, Demands India Play Active Role in Policing Pacific

[ABS News Service/22.10.2026]

President Trump is expected to join the first Quad leaders’ meeting in more than two years next month, offering a potential reprieve for the Indo-Pacific grouping amid concerns that Washington’s commitment to multilateral cooperation has weakened.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed plans for a meeting of the United States, Australia, India and Japan on the sidelines of the November 16–18 ASEAN summit in Manila.

The gathering would be the first at leaders’ level since President Joe Biden hosted the four governments in Wilmington, Delaware, in September 2024.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, brings together the United States, Australia, India and Japan in an informal strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Indo-Pacific security and countering China’s regional influence.

The meeting provides an opportunity to demonstrate that the Quad remains relevant to US strategy toward China, despite tensions between Washington and New Delhi, competing diplomatic priorities and the failure to hold a leaders’ summit in 2025.

The central test will be whether political commitments translate into financing, infrastructure development and coordinated economic-security measures, particularly following the Quad’s May announcements on critical minerals, energy security and maritime infrastructure.

Concrete Deliverables

Mr. Rubio said the leaders intend to announce concrete deliverables rather than simply hold another diplomatic meeting. Speaking to India's CNN-News18, he said the governments had agreed to convene in Manila, although the precise date remains unsettled. The Philippines confirmed Mr. Trump's attendance at the ASEAN summit on October 14.

The Quad's May 26 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi established a more substantial economic-security agenda, including the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, which envisages mobilizing up to $20 billion in public and private financing for mining, processing and recycling projects.

The framework also covers investment coordination, regulatory alignment, technology and industry engagement. It builds on the original minerals initiative launched in July 2025 and complements US efforts to diversify supply chains away from concentrated Chinese processing capacity.

The ministers also launched the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security and agreed to develop a port in Fiji, adding energy resilience and strategic infrastructure to an agenda that already includes maritime surveillance, technology and disaster response.

The summit comes amid divergent assessments of the Quad's future. Critics have questioned Mr. Trump's interest in the grouping, particularly after the planned 2025 summit in India failed to materialize amid US-Indian disputes over tariffs and other issues. Others argue that ministerial cooperation and the May commitments demonstrate continued institutional momentum despite the absence of presidential engagement.

The timing adds another complication. Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC meetings in Shenzhen shortly afterward, while also expressing openness to a separate meeting with President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Those diplomatic overtures could raise questions among Quad partners about how Washington intends to balance strategic competition with Beijing against bilateral accommodations.